Nigerians will no longer ‘buy houses like fish in the market’ – Fashola

The Nigerian government says it wants to provide affordable houses by mortgage that people can pay for throughout their working life.

The Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who stated this on Wednesday, said part of the change agenda of the ruling All Progressive Congress is that Nigerians would no longer have to buy a house like fish in the market, saying, “that is not how it works in other societies.”

“The payment period will be spread over a period of time, usually your working life.That is really affordability,” he said. “Housing is not just about building, it is also providing access to funding through the Federal Mortgage Bank.”

Mr Fashola stated this in Jigawa State where he is on a supervision tour of federal road and housing projects.

According to the minister, “Workers who are contributing to the National Housing Fund have something now to look forward to. We are going to create a line of supply houses and access to credit and allow you to choose what your income can afford.

“That is the journey of change President Buhari has been talking about. We will experience something new. The change will not be only on the new houses but also how to pay for the houses in a manner that makes it convenient for you,” he stated.

On electricity, the minister said people are now free to set up independent power generation companies “without necessarily requesting for licence.”

He said ‎the federal government is encouraging the private sector to invest in generation and selling of power to the public.

“Any interested individual or company can set up power generation from two megawatts downwards and sell it to public without requesting for any licence.